Better Neighbourhoods Fund

Paul Martin (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can supply further details about the Better Neighbourhoods Fund announced as part of the Spending Review on 20 September 2000.

Angus MacKay: I am delighted to announce that £90 million will be available to support pathfinder projects to improve the quality of services to those living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in 12 Scottish local authority areas. Each council will have the opportunity to agree with its community planning partners locally which neighbourhood should benefit and how the resources should be deployed to bring about improvement in the lives of those communities. Through involving those communities, agreement will be reached on the specific services and outcomes that will result from the pathfinders, and these will become the subject of local outcome agreements along the lines that I described in the debate on the renewal of local government finance on 22 November 2000. Resources will be available over the coming three-year period, as follows:

  


 


(£ million) 
  



2001-02 
  

2002-03 
  

2003-04 
  

Total 
  



Glasgow 
  

6.00 
  

9.00 
  

12.00 
  

27.00 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

2.00 
  

3.00 
  

4.00 
  

9.00 
  



Dundee 
  

2.00 
  

3.00 
  

4.00 
  

9.00 
  



Inverclyde 
  

2.00 
  

3.00 
  

4.00 
  

9.00 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

1.50 
  

2.25 
  

3.00 
  

6.75 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

1.50 
  

2.25 
  

3.00 
  

6.75 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

1.50 
  

2.25 
  

3.00 
  

6.75 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

1.00 
  

1.50 
  

2.00 
  

4.50 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

1.00 
  

1.50 
  

2.00 
  

4.50 
  



Argyll & Bute 
  

0.60 
  

0.90 
  

1.20 
  

2.70 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

0.60 
  

0.90 
  

1.20 
  

2.70 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

0.30 
  

0.45 
  

0.60 
  

1.35 
  



Total 
  

20.00 
  

30.00 
  

40.00 
  

90.00 
  



  In recognition of its size and the scale of deprivation it faces, Glasgow City Council and its partners will be invited to implement pathfinders in three neighbourhoods. The Better Neighbourhoods Services Fund will deliver real and substantial improvement in the quality of services for local people.

  I am also pleased to announce that £7 million will be made available from the Social Justice budget over the next three years to develop better Neighbourhood Statistics. These will help agencies to better target and measure the outcomes of our policies aimed at improving the lives of deprived communities.

Teachers

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the recruitment of teachers in subjects where a shortage has been identified.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 13-15 and 28-38 of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what special training initiatives it is undertaking or supporting to increase the number of teachers in subjects where a shortage has been identified.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 16-18 of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how shortages of teachers in specific subjects are identified and projected.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 26-38 of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level is of (a) any current shortage and (b) any anticipated shortages in each of the next three years of teachers of (i) mathematics, (ii) physics, (iii) chemistry and (iv) modern languages.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 26-30 and Annex A of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the number of teaching staff was for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools by local authority area for each of the last three years, including the figures for this year.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at Annex F of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent by each local authority on supply teaching staff for each of the last three years.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 39-45 of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to address any shortfall in teachers of English.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 26-38 of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure there is no shortage of supply teachers in any core teaching subject.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 39-45 of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies there are for secondary school teachers in each local authority area.

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies there are for secondary school teachers, broken down by subject.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 28-36 of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to improve recruitment rates for secondary school teacher training.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 13-18 of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from local authorities regarding any difficulties experienced in recruiting teachers for specific subjects since 1 July 1999.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraph 26 of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers graduated from Scottish education establishments in each year since 1979, broken down by subject.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at Annex D of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the age profile is of teachers employed in the state sector, broken down into age groups.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at Annex E of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Teachers

Ian Jenkins (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people enrolled on teacher training courses at educational establishments in each year since 1979.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today sent the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at Annex B of the report.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.